Retrieving flies from trees or underwater can be tricky at times...a friend showed me this little trick if the fly isn't to deep or too high up in the tree...point the rod at the fly and slowly strip the line in until the tip top engages the bend of the hook...I stress slowly since we don't want to wreck the tip...and from there, simply move the rod in the same direction while you were stripping in the line...hook comes free, fly saved and no stress on the rod or leader from tugging.

Retrieving flies from trees or underwater can be tricky at times...a friend showed me this little trick if the fly isn't to deep or too high up in the tree...point the rod at the fly and slowly strip the line in until the tip top engages the bend of the hook...I stress slowly since we don't want to wreck the tip...and from there, simply move the rod in the same direction while you were stripping in the line...hook comes free, fly saved and no stress on the rod or leader from tugging.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

This works but is risky. Flies are cheaper than rods.

I prefer the roll cast method: Once you know you're hung, quit tugging. Start pulling off extra line so you can throw a roll cast beyond the snag, thus tugging the fly off the snag in the opposite direction of how it initially approached it.

If fishing downstream in current, you can also let the current form a bow in the line and then give a tug once you've got the belly way beyond the snag.

Here is a little trick I use. Get 1 or 2 wine corks and drill a hole through the center long ways. Run an old shoe string through the hole and tie a knot on one end and leave enough shoe string on the other end to make a loop. You slide the shoe string through a D ring on your vest and loop cork through the loop of the shoe sting so it hangs down.

You can put your flies into the cork to dry when you chang flies or if you are tying on a dropper fly you can hook your dropper fly in the cork while you tie on your tippet.

I will post some pix to show everyone. This is a very cheap trick!!!!!

So...Davo and I are going to share our little tricks,that's a good team I think.The car wash chamois is great but you can use this too.When you find a little bag of silica desicant in one of your parcels or a medicine tube,don't throw it as advised,put it in a little tube.When your fly is wet,put it inside the tube,close it and shake...It'll come out perfectly dry.(very useful when you fish with a "cul de canard".

I love this idea. Coupled on the cork idea (love that too), you could use an old 35mm film can, drill a small hole in the lid and bottom. Using the other shoe string, fish it through the cap from the top, then through the hole in the can from the inside, knot it. Leave enough room for the lid to be removed for the fly insertion and there you have it.

Aside from this, you could punch a hole in the chamios, tie it onto a longer end of the shoestring and use it to remove the remains of the drying agent. they could hang together from the same string, if done right.

it's sort of hard to explain without demonstrating though. say you're casting against a bank or up to a bush or tree that is emerging from or overhanging the water and you overshoot a bit and your fly hangs a limb, but the line doesn't wrap around it a bunch of times...it's pretty much just dangling there. this happens quite a bit actually...especially when casting poppers, dries, hoppers, etc. near the bank.

do not yank! relax, and retrieve the fly line as slowly as possible until the fly simply scoots over the limb and plops into the water below. it works about 9 out of 10 times. oh...and be ready for a strike. it's a very realistic presentation when imitating terrestrials!

it's sort of hard to explain without demonstrating though. say you're casting against a bank or up to a bush or tree that is emerging from or overhanging the water and you overshoot a bit and your fly hangs a limb, but the line doesn't wrap around it a bunch of times...it's pretty much just dangling there. this happens quite a bit actually...especially when casting poppers, dries, hoppers, etc. near the bank.

do not yank! relax, and retrieve the fly line as slowly as possible until the fly simply scoots over the limb and plops into the water below. it works about 9 out of 10 times. oh...and be ready for a strike. it's a very realistic presentation when imitating terrestrials!

Thanks!That's a very good one indeed people are afraid to use but which is deadly.I'll simply advise if you want to try it,to sart by landing your fly on rocks(or hit them with it) before you try on bushes or branches and use a thick palmer which is less likely to be stuck than any other fly.